Documentation,
MLA Style
A guide to in-text and reference citation methods.
Modern Language Association (MLA)
The Format of the Paper…




Choose a standard, easily readable font (e.g. Times New
Roman) and type size (e.g. 12 point)
Do not right justify the margins
Turn off the automatic hyphenation feature (optional)
Print on one side of the paper only (optional)
Format (continued)…

MARGINS:



Except for page numbers, 1 inch
margins all around
 Microsoft Word default is
1.25” for left & right
margins
 Use Page Setup under the
File menu to change.
Indent the first line of each
paragraph
Set off long (defined as those
longer than 4 lines or prose or 3
lines of verse) quotations 1 inch
(ten spaces) from the left margin
Format (continued…)

SPACING:
Double-space throughout, including quotations and works
cited! No extra spacing required (dead space).
 1 space after a period or other concluding punctuation

Format (continued)…

HEADING AND TITLE:
NO TITLE PAGE in MLA format!
 Font remains same for title – no bold, underline or italics

Sources




GENERAL RULE:
Ideally, no more than 20
percent of your paper
should be direct
quotations.
Paraphrase as much as
you can.
Use direct quotations
when citing a statistic
or original theory
Use author's words if
they capture a point
exactly.
When to Give Your Source…








You must acknowledge in your paper the source of
A direct quotation
A statistic
An idea
Someone else’s opinion
Concrete facts not considered “common knowledge”
Information not commonly known
Information taken from the computer (CD ROMS, internet, etc.)
Illustrations, photographs, or charts – if not yours
Paraphrasing and Summarizing
You must still acknowledge your source if you…
Paraphrase:

Put someone else’s ideas into your own words
Summarize:

Condense someone else’s words or ideas
Signal Phrases in MLA

Model Signal Phrases:
“In the words of researchers Long
and McKinzie…”
“As Paul Rudnick has noted…”
“Melinda Stuart, mother of a child
killed by a drunk driver, points
out…”
“…,writes Michelle Moore, …”
NOTE: Never use “says”

Verbs in Signal Phrases:
acknowledges
agrees
believes
comments
contends
denies
emphasizes
grants
implies
observes
reasons
suggests
admits
asserts
claims
confirms
declares
disputes
endorses
illustrates
notes
points out
refutes
writes
Parenthetical Citations
…a system in which you give your source in
parentheses immediately after you give the
information.

Four Common Citations:




Author and page number
Title and page number
Page number only
Secondhand quotations
The first word of your citation match the corresponding
entry on your Works Cited page!
Parenthetical Citations:
Author & Page Number
(Keeling 125)

Notice there is no “p”
and no comma.
The struggle for identity
is common during
puberty (Keeling 125).
Parenthetical Citations:
Title & Page Number
Her distinctive writing
style adds to her
mystique (“Plath” 19).
• Often, articles,
editorials, pamphlets,
and other materials
have no author listed;
thus, give the first
distinctive word of the
title followed by page #
Parenthetical Citations:
Page Number Only

If you have already mentioned the author’s name, put a
page number only:
Keeling states that Plath’s work stands in stark
contrast to other confessional poets (58).
Parenthetical Citations:
Secondhand Quotations

When you quote someone who has been quoted in
one of your sources, use:
qtd. in = quoted in
Evelyn Maxwell, author of numerous books
about poetry, refers to Plath as the “queen
of darkness” (qtd. in Keeling 99).
Parenthetical Citations:
Special Cases

Electronic Sources:

Articles & Books
originally in print –
Goth dress can be quite
outlandish (Raymon).

Other Electronic Sources:

You may give the name in
parentheses, but you can
be more precise and
include the name by
indicating the format and
incorporating the name
smoothly into your
sentence.

Interview or Speech:

If the source is an
interview, lecture, or
speech, include person’s
name in introductory
clause with no
parenthesis:
Julia Cohen, graduate
student in English and a
self-professed Goth,
states that being Goth is
more a state of mind than
outlandish dress.
Parenthetical Citations:
Multiple Authors

Two Sources by the Same Author:

Use the first identifying words to indicate the title of the
work
The radical disconnect in Plath’s writing is evident in the
poem Cut (In the Middle, 188).
OR
(Rimbaud, In the Middle, 188).
Parenthetical Citations:
Organization as Author
Often, an organization serves as the author:
The National Council for Teachers of English state that
students bring insider knowledge of youth culture and a
passion for and investment in its texts and practices (5).
OR
Students bring insider knowledge of youth culture (National
Council for the Teachers of English 5).

Parenthetical Citations:
How Often to Give Citations


When several facts in a
row within one
paragraph all come from
the same page of a
source, use one citation
to cover them all. Place
the citation after the last
fact.
The citation MUST be
in the same paragraph as
the facts!
WORKS CITED





List only those sources that you actually used.
List the complete title of the article, essay, or book.
Alphabetize your list by authors’ last names or the first main
word in a title.
Online sources usually follow the print format followed by the
URL <URL>. (journals, newspapers, magazines, abstracts,
books, reviews, scholarly projects or databases, etc.).
Format –



Author’s last name first
Double-space
Left Margin



Indent second and third lines five spaces
Most item separated by periods – leave one space after ending punctuation.
Place a period at the end of each entry.
WORKS CITED:
Specific Entries

Book:
Author. Title. City: Publisher, date.
Corti, Lillian. The Myth of Medea and the Murder of Children.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.

Article in a Magazine:
Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical Date: page(s).
Gerard, Jeremy. “Review of Redwood Curtain.” Variety April 5,
1993: p. 43.
WORKS CITED:
Specific Entries

Article in a Newspaper:
Author (if given). “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper Complete
date, section number or title: page(s).
Kerr, Walter. “The Lives they Lived.” The New York Times 29
December 1996, late ed.: sec. 1: 53.

Article or Story in a Collection of Anthology:
Author. “Title.” Book Title. Editor. City: Publisher, date. Pages.
Franklin, Benjamin. “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker.” Benjamin
Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings. Ed. Kenneth
Silverman. New York: Viking, 1986. 209-213.
WORKS CITED:
Specific Entries

Article in a Scholarly Journal:
Author. “Title of Article.” Journal Title Volume number (complete
date): pages covered by article.
Witham, Barry B. “Images of America.” Theatre Journal 34 (May
1982): 223-232.

Encyclopedia
“Title of Article.” Title of Encyclopedia. Year of the edition.
“Plath, Sylvia.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2005 ed.
WORKS CITED:
Specific Entries – Electronic Sources

Direct E-Mail to You (Not a Discussion Group)
Author of e-mail [title or area of expertise, professional affiliation].
“Subject line.” E-mail to the author (meaning you) date.
Rushbrook, Sally [poet]. “For Goths Sake.” E-mail to the author. 7
June 1999.

Standalone Database or CD-ROM
Author. “Title.” (or the heading of the material you read) Title of
Entire Work publishing information of original, if known. Title of
Database. Publication Medium. Vendor (if relevant). Electronic
publication date.
Good, Sarah. “Goth Tradition in Adolescents.” Newsday 16 Mar.
1997 sec. Life: 1. Newsbank Newsday. CD-ROM. 1999.
WORKS CITED:
Specific Entries – Electronic Sources

Online Source or Website: NOTE - <URL>.
Author or organization. “Title of section, if given.” Title of the Complete
Work. Date of publication or last revision. Sponsoring organization if
different from author. Date you viewed the site <URL of site>.
Elder, Preston. “What is Goth?” Goth.net. 2000, 2001. Goth.net. 30 March
2006 <http://www.goth.net/goth.html>.

Posting to a Discussion Group:
Author (not screen name). “Subject line of article.” Online posting. Date
of posting. Group to which it was sent – multiple group names
separated by comma. Date you viewed it <URL>.
Rushbrook, Sally. “Plath and Me.” Online posting. 7 June 2000. Goth.net.
6 March 2006. <http://www.goth.net/groups>.
WORKS CITED:
Special Cases

No Author:

Alphabetize according to the first main word in the title,
ignoring the articles a, an, and the.
“Moonshot Tape.” Antaeus. Ed. Daniel Helpern. New York: Ecco Press,
1991.

Two or More Authors:

Give the last name first for the first author only.
Hall, David, Laura Henigman, and Lillian Corti. Worlds of Wonder, Days of
Judgement. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990.
WORKS CITED:
Special Cases

More Work by Same Author:

Use three hyphens and a period (---.) in place of
the author’s name and alphabetize the works
according to title.
Wilson, Lanford. Day. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1994.
---. Sympathetic Magic. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1998.
---. Tally and Son. New York, Dramatists Play Service, 1995.
WORKS CITED:
Special Cases

Radio/Television Program:
Speaker Name. Program Title. Company if known. Network and/or
station call letters, city. Date of broadcast.
Mangone, Carlo. Weekend Edition Saturday. Natl. Public Radio.
KSMU, Springfield, MO. 31 May 1997.

Video/DVD or Audio Recording:
Author, Director, or Performer. Title. Format. Distributor, date.
Frizell, Michael. I Hate Hamlet. DVD. Little Theatre Home Video,
2006.
WORKS CITED:
Special Cases

Pamphlet:


Follow the format for a book. If no date is listed, use n.d.
Interview, Speech, or Lecture:
Speaker’s name [Speaker’s position]. Type of presentation.
Location, date.
Jenkins, Jeff [Owner and Creative Director, The Skinny Improv
Theatre]. Personal Interview. Springfield, MO. 29 March 2006.